"My Dreams Became Nightmares" 
Testimony of "Michael"  
 

I really enjoyed your website, actually I really didn't, spiritual warfare is not something that is much fun.  I thank you for having this site, and I will keep you in my prayers, you are doing an excellent job.    
 
I am terrified by these types of events, literally.  I am a born again Christian (age of 13, and repented several times since).  I have had reoccurring nightmares of paralysis that seemed so life, exhausting and frustrating.  To the point, I did not want to even go to sleep.  It started when I was 20(actually in High School), when I  moved in with  my girlfriend at the time.  Even though I knew this was wrong.  Several months after this, I began to have nightmares of not being able to move, which I just thought were because of stress.  She would mention that in the middle of sleeping, sometimes I would raise up (and it would be during these dreams where I would feel trapped but I would try to move).  I figured that this was just the beginning of sleep walking.    
 
I don't have any occult pasts, however, I have some Family from Pt. Pleasant West Virginia, which is the scariest place in the world.  And I have an Aunt who claims to have seen many UFOs.  And another Aunt whose house is haunted (her houses, it follows her).    
 
My girlfriend moved away after that year.  I moved to another place, and don't remember having too many more of the dreams.    Actually I should digress, I remember having some of these dreams during high school, most of the time, when I would be 'back sliding'.  Always the same, dream within a dream feeling, that included paralysis.  One thing that was constant about the dreams, was that I knew I was asleep even in my dreams, but something was telling me to get up, get up, something is here, its in the house you have to get up.  I would use my mind to try to wake myself up, and move my body.  eventually waking up . I was so afraid evening in the dream like state, that I would be forced to be 'awake' but unable to move forever.  Still am.  I had a water bed at the time, and would notice when I had these dreams that were probably related to me getting pinned against  the head board or tangled in the covers.  I would tell people that, and they would agree.    
 
After College I moved into an apt. with my best friend.  Mind you, I am and always will be the biggest chicken in the world.  So before I move in anywhere, I go into each room and closet by myself to see how it feels.  At this point I was back in line, and reading my bible daily.  The first night in that room, I was awakened in the middle of the night by something kicking my mattress, not the box spring but the mattress.  I knew enough then, about spiritual warfare, to read my bible, and pray in the name of Jesus.  I figured who ever lived there before was into something they should not be.  No problem whatsoever from that point on.    My mom, was always a very spiritual Christian woman.  She prayed and prayed.  I had an older brother who was into Heavy Metal rock, and his room just felt different.  I stayed in that room when I moved back home for awhile after college.  And I never slept in there without the light on.  My mom always teased me, because she said, there was nothing there.  In that room, I had those same nightmares though.   I had that in here, because I know I am a big chicken, and that the mind  can be very powerful.  My mother would tell me, if you didn't do anything wrong during the day you would not have to worry at night.    
 
So I go stay with my Aunt  in Florida, whose houses were haunted.  I was only there a week.  At this point in my life, I always sleep with the light on, always, no matter what.  I had the same can't move dream 2-3 times in her house that week.  But I was under a lot of stress with the move, so I blew it off.  
 
Several years go by, have the dreams every now and then, but try to map them all back to stress related incidents, or just getting wrapped up in my blankets.  However, they are so terrifying, that some nights I would not even go back to sleep.  I would rather just be tired, than have to endure that dream, or the thought of it.  
 
I moved into a one bedroom apt.  Around 1995. Dreams came and went, but more frequently.  I was a full time member of a church, going to singles activities, really try to witness to others.  Then I met a young lady, I became engaged to, however we did not behave as we should have.  It ended.  But during that time, the dreams were very strong.  In fact, I got so fed up with it, I really began to pray and read my bible.  And one night while working out (since I felt that the paralysis could be overcome by being stronger, mentally and physically, I worked out a lot, I really felt like my mind could move my body in my dream and that would bring me out), I heard a voice in my head say, why do you not depend on ME for strength during those dreams.  I felt like hitting myself on the head, I cannot believe I had not thought of that.  After all, these were all stress related, but God can do anything.  So that very night, I was determined to use the name of Jesus.  Also, I always fought like crazy in these dreams, although my body was stiff as a board, my mind was working overtime (very strenuous, always very mentally taxing to say the least).   But this night, I was not going to fight back instead of using my power I was going to call on Jesus.    
 
As I went to bed that night, I was so confident and relieved.  I went to bed, and sure enough, the dream came.  But this time, in my mind, I said I am not fighting back.  And for the first time (even though my mom always said it was the devil), this force said you better fight, you know who this is, kind of like you don't know what you are dealing with.  Immediately I felt like I was curled up into a ball, and this force went around me like a box that got tighter and tighter, I though I was done for sure, but did not fight it.  This was all happening very fast.  But in my mind, I just said, I am not fighting this battle, it is Jesus Battle.    
At that point (in my dream still), I felt my body shoot up from the bed at something faster than light speed for a second I thought I had been killed, but as soon as I hit the ceiling, I came back down, and woke up.    Ever since that night, those dreams have come and gone, unfortunately, I still try to fight it with my mind and body, before calling on the Lord at times(it's like I forget, and want to do it myself).  I am a very independent person, so I feel like God has used this to make me realize there are something's you can not fight on your own.  
 
I read my bible every day, but I still sleep with a light on.  Even though I know that Jesus will always save me from these dreams, I dread the thought of having them, if I knew for sure I was going to have one.  I would stay up all night to avoid it.   If I had enough money, I would pay to have someone watch me sleep at night so they could wake me up, if it looked like I was struggling.  
 
Oh, sorry for being all over the place.  But I worked with a lady during my engagement time, who was into Chinese Astrology, although she proclaimed to be a Christian.  Nicest lady in the world, and I would always try to witness to her, and that is when the dreams came back really strong.  One night, I did read through one of her books, just as a joke.  I didn't have a dream that night, but I sure felt something in my apt.  But like I said I am a big chicken, and I immediately told her to never tell me anything else about me, using that stuff again.  We are still friends, but I know better than to mess around with anything like that.    
 
When I was 2, A snake was coming up our sidewalk towards my sister and I, our dog Rex was in its way.  My Mom had gone to a psychic the week before. She always said that is what that was from . As crazy as it sounds, I believe her.  I do not like to even mess with that stuff.  I never allow friend or co workers to even tell me a horoscope out of the newspaper, and warn them of what I consider to be very dangerous.  I believe those are the channels the devil uses to get into our lives, because most people think they are harmless.  I was also very lucky, as a middle school, my pastor told me that drugs were the way the devil could easily gain control of you, he painted the picture so well it scared me away from drugs.      
 
I don't believe I was every abducted by aliens, but I will say this, the dreams I have/had sure are very similar to what they describe.  And I do believe my dreams not to be from God, I believe he uses them to strengthen me, and make sure I am depending on him, and not myself.  However, I don't wish anything like that on anyone.  My prayers will go out to everyone who endures this, it is so frustrating and it feels so real I can not completely describe it in words.  I have many many dreams, most of which are wonderful, but these are so completely different. And I always wake feeling exhausted, like I never went to sleep at all, I really, really hate them.  
 
God Bless your website, and I will keep these people in my prayers.  I can not begin to imagine how they can cope with this without Christ, my experiences with the dreams are frustrating enough, to imagine some of the things they have had to endure makes me cry, it is a very helpless feeling.